"So... you're next."
A ghostly voice rang out, echoing and bouncing through every corner in an ever-looming void.
The surroundings were dark and without an end, and no matter where you looked, you wouldn't be able to tell whether you were falling or floating. Well... that would've been the case if not for one jarring issue.
In the middle of this infinitely spanning abyss, an old, rickety chair sat on its deceiving floor. The chair was made from oak wood; it also had plenty of rough edges that clearly displayed the skill level of its craftsman.
Some of its edges were so rough, in fact, you're almost guaranteed to get a splinter if you were to run your finger along it. Even so, the chair looked like it was made with care, and despite its rough shape, it had a lot of character.
*So, you're next... so you're next... so you're next...*
Even after the ghostly voice had stopped talking, clear echoes of its words continued to reverberate through the far-expanding void.
Strangely, as the echoes of the ghost voice got further and further away, the voice oddly got clearer. Before, it sounded distorted and loud, like putting your ears against a speaker at max volume.
The decrypted voice sounded dull but yet domineering with a hint of thought. As soon as it was uncovered, though, the echo quickly began to fade.
*You're next.... You're next....*
Oddly, as the lingering echoes began to fade, it began to audibly and visibly converge onto the rickety chair in the middle of the dark void.
Colorless strips of particles appeared all around the chair, slowly sliding into place like a puzzle. Each of these particles seemed to be holding a portion of those echoes as well, and once the particles finished converging, it was like all the echoes became one, but as soon as that happened, the echo disappeared.
In its place now lies a fiery apparition that looks somewhat reflective. The apparition had a humanoid figure, and its body was colored almost entirely with shades of black and white. Although it may seem like it had color, the blacks and whites only follow the shadows and shade that hide beneath a light source, like how a real human body would react to light.
The apparition crossed its legs, and as it did so, some of its particles flaked off like a moving flame. Every time it moves, the shades of blacks and whites will shift and adjust accordingly to the unknown trajectory of the imaginary light source.
As time passed, the apparition never said a single word; it just sat there, moving around slightly from time to time.
Its head hadn't moved either during that time period; all it did was stare, which is strange because it had no nose, no mouth, and no eyes, so there's no real indication as to where the apparition is looking, but yet, it's clear that it's staring at something or, more specifically, someone.
Suddenly, the view of the void began to distort, and everything began to melt away. The darkness slowly decayed as light filled in the gaps.
As the beams of light began to pierce through, an unsettling truth was revealed. While the chair and everything else stayed in position, the light beam that was supposed to end at the floor beneath them never did; instead, it pierced through it and continued until the light dispersed, not being able to reach the bottom.
During all of this, the apparition never left its seat or even moved at that. It was as if it wasn't bothered at all by the world crumbling around it.
The void collapsed, and even the patches of darkness that didn't instantly melt away began to slowly disappear, one after another.
Right before everything disappears, one last fleeting voice echoes throughout the space.
"I'm sorry..."
Unlike before, this voice sounded bleak and hollow; the words weren't malicious, but yet, it seemed to carry a heavy weight and a sense of foreboding. Even though the words were clear, its voice was only an echo, as if it came from somewhere far away or even somewhere... beyond.
Finally, everything faded away, and a pair of glistening onyx eyes replaced the sight.
Inside a house with strange architecture and marble vines coupled with modeled sunflowers all across its light cyan walls, a boy with hair as mesmerizing and vibrant as the blue sky on a sunny day opened his eyes, revealing a set of crystal-like onyx eyes that looked like obsidian.
Dressed in multicolored pajamas, the boy lay on his back with both arms spread across his bed like a splat of paint.
Hints of shock remained in the boy's obsidian eyes for a moment but disappeared in the next. His demeanor changed completely.
Cheerful and excited, the boy jumped off his bed, his sky blue hair flowing messily, and ran off. He opened his bedroom, leading to a corridor with three doors leading to different rooms and a staircase directly to its left.
Slamming his bedroom door behind him. The blue-haired boy first ran to his parents room on the right of the staircase and knocked.
*Knock knock*
"Come on, Mom and Dad! *Coughs* The parade is almost here!" The boy cleared his throat in the middle of calling out to his parents, who were presumably still asleep.
The boy's voice was still hoarse from a good night's sleep. Usually he'll grab a drink from his bottle when he wakes up, but today was a special day, blindsiding him from his usual routine.
The blue jumped around the entrance to his parents room, excited about today. Occasionally he'll knock, but after not getting a response for over a minute, he grew impatient and later decided to ditch his parents.
Running down the stairs, the sound of the pitter-patter of his feet scattered and reverberated all throughout the house.
"Urghh..." A moaning noise came from behind the door.
Right as the blue-haired boy ran down the stairs, the door to his parents room finally opened, and a man with inky black hair and squinted eyes exited its chambers.
"It's a bit too early, isn't it, Shry..." the black-haired man said as he fully opened his eyes, revealing a pair of purple, portal-like eyes, similar-looking to amethyst crystals.
Looking around, the man tried to locate the cause of his grogginess but found no one.
"Ahhh-hhhaaa," behind the man, a female who is presumably his wife yawned as she stretched.
"Good morning, Shelt," the man greeted his wife in a dispirited voice.
"Uuumm.... Morning, Kanum," the female returned the greeting with a significantly more lively but dull voice.
Too lazy to move, Kanum leaned on the doorframe, tired of standing.
Still on the bed, Shelt tidied up her vibrant crimson hair and pushed it back, tying it into a ponytail and revealing a set of beautiful black eyes that shone like a gem.
"Haaaaaaah" Kanum let out a long breath
Kanum, who was still leaning on the doorframe, felt his eyelids become heavy.
Beginning to feel lethargic, Kanum almost drifted off to sleep when suddenly, his wife, who was just by their bed, showed up next to him and gently jabbed him with an elbow.
"Well, Kanum, aren't you going to join him?" Shelt said teasingly while showing a small but warm smile.
After Kanum was jolted awake, it was as if a switch within him had been flipped. Instantly, all of his initial grogginess disappeared.
"Alriiiight!" Kanum suddenly let out a battle cry
Kanum suddenly surged with energy, becoming almost as hyper as his son, in an instant.
He reached out his right hand in the air, about to do something fantastical. When he was promptly stopped by a feminine hand
(Oh no, you don't), Shelt thought as she caught her husband's hand
Shelt was just about to head toward their personal bathroom to get herself ready for the day, but when she noticed what Kanum was about to do, she stopped herself.
Putting her hand on Kanum's shoulder, Shelt managed to successfully stop Kanum.
Sensing a deep sense of foreboding, Kanum slowly turned his head to look at Shelt, and when he saw her face, he felt like he was gonna cry.
Shelt's pupil shrank into slits, losing its usual maturity and serenity, but that wasn't the worst. Although her lips were in the shape of her normal smile with no differences, it somehow defied all pretenses and turned sinister instead.
"Kanum..." Shelt said in a mildly threatening voice.
Understandably, Kanum couldn't help but sweat nervously as he put his hand down. Although his body may have displayed fear and nervousness, in actuality it's more like an instinctual response rather than the truth on how he truly feels.
Overcoming his natural instincts, Kanum showed a reassuring smile along with a shaky thumbs-up to emphasize what he's trying to convey.
Because Kanum's reaction was very unexpected. Shelt, who was on the receiving end of his strange actions, felt stunned. For a second she even thought about bringing him to a psychiatrist so they could study what was wrong with his brain, until she remembered that she actually did try that once as a prank before Shry was born.
As she thought back to that time, Shelt unconsciously smiled as she thought back to the look on Kanum's face during her prank.
Somehow, either through sheer luck or precise calculations, Kanum manages to avoid a torrential storm of lectures from his wife.
As Shelt began to calm down thanks to Kanum's lucky stars, the room got quiet, and an odd silence fell in between the married couple.
As the silence grew, both of them began to feel a bit uncomfortable, but neither one of them could think of what to say.
After a while, Kanum faltered and thought of something to say, even if it's just nonsense.
"A..." Kanum raised his mouth, ready to speak, but before he could, his wife interrupted him.
Almost like she could sense that Kanum was about to spout some nonsense, she felt compelled to stop him.
*Haaa...* Shelt sighed as she raised her right hand and gestured for Kanum to stop speaking.
"Just be careful, and don't break anything... again, please." Shelt's voice was soft but also strong and commanding; she made her statement as clear as day, clearly trying to prevent Kanum from damaging their house again.
After knowing Kanum for as long as she has, Shelt knew that she wouldn't be able to dissuade him. So instead, she decided to restrain his recklessness by making him swear to a promise, and since Kanum is not one to break promises easily, it'll at least bring Shelt some sort of peace of mind.
As Shelt predicted, even after fully grasping his situation, Kanum still proceeded with what he was doing anyway.
Her words didn't fall on deaf ears, though. Looking at Kanum, one could truly see and feel a significantly different vibe emanating from him compared to his earlier demeanor.
In his mind, Kanum had already begun calculating all the steps he had to take. Furthermore, he also thought of several precautions to avoid damaging their house.
(This is going to take a lot...) Kanum thought while planning his course of action
If his calculations and predictions were just a bit off, even if there's a one percent chance of failure, Kanum would've canceled his plan immediately.
Finally coming to a decision, Kanum's eyes glowed with a hint of mischief and in the next moment, he lifted his right hand again.
This time, with no more obstructions, his hand formed into a motion, as if he were about to pluck a petal from a flower; he pinched the air, and he pulled back.